Heartbeat
by The Minsk
Summary: Finn has always been a really good listener. . .


DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. They are the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. This is purely for fun. Enjoy :)

A/N: I've never written in this certain style before, so please let me know if it flows nicely.

**Heartbeat****  
****  
****A One-Shot by The Minsk**

He listens to her heartbeat when she falls asleep on her bed one night, exhaustion creeping up on her until she succumbs to the relentless pull of fatigue. She lies back on her bed until she sinks into the pillows, her deep brown hair fanning across the sheets like silk, shiny and smooth. He wants to touch her but he can't; it's not right. Just because she's his girlfriend, doesn't mean he can take advantage of her while she's at her most vulnerable.

So he leans down until his head is level with her right shoulder, closes his eyes, and listens.

Sometimes he thinks her heartbeat is the only consistent thing in his whole life. It steadily thumps against her chest, strong and steady, lulling into a softer beat as her body rests and regains energy. Her skin feels so smooth under the thin camisole she's wearing, and he rubs his cheek against her shoulder in the smallest of movements so he could revel in it's softness. He falls into frivolous daydreams and imagines his heart beating to the same rhythm as hers. With a wicked grin, he realizes that he could sleep here too, right alongside her. Wrapped up in the scent of Rachel, in the essence of her beauty, it would be so simple to feign ignorance and just fall deeper and deeper into his fantasies until he had joined her in slumber. It would be effortlessly easy. No one would even blame him for it. It would be the simplest of accidents.

But he doesn't do it, because he needs to do this the right way. He has to make a good impression on Mr. and Mr. Berry, and prove to Rachel that he's no longer Finn Hudson-the-fuckup. He is now Rachel's boyfriend, her partner in crime. Not only is he her co-captain, but she's the other half of him, his missing piece. As long as they're together, they were a united front. A team.

So instead of falling asleep next to her, he just listens. Listens to the sound of her heart. Hoping that it beat for him, and him only.

He kisses her on the cheek softly before leaving, the words "I Love You' scribbled on a note next to her bed. He idly wonders when she'll say the words. He wasn't going to push her, but it still stung to know that the summer was over already and she hadn't said them yet. But he ignores this idle, yet persistent, thought and slowly lifts himself off of the bed, careful as to not disturb her. He smiles softly as she sleeps without a single stir, and it already feels like his heart is beating out-of-sync. He runs to his car without looking back, afraid of his own weakness, and knowing that if he stays a minute longer, he will change his mind.

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He listens to her heartbeat on a stormy day in September, the Indian-summer heat making his bedroom into a humid, dank, sweat-box. What should have been an exciting first weekend of the school year is now a rained-out catastrophe, and they struggle to find something to do in his empty, yet sweltering, house. There are still boxes everywhere from his almost-move to Casa Hummel, and even he is still unsure of his place in his mother's relationship. So he continues to live out of boxes and rummage around through the mess he calls his bedroom, and to his delight, Rachel does not scold him for his untidy ways.

The rain is torrential, and if it wasn't for the fact that Rachel had been at his house since early that morning, she might not have even made it over. Torrential downpours flooded the roads and now Rachel was stuck at Finn's house until the rain stopped. Neither of them complain; they've always enjoyed each other's company immensely and were excited to have some time alone where they could relax. But with no TV hooked up and no internet connection, there was very little to keep them occupied.

That is, until the power goes out.

A loud, booming crack of thunder explodes over the tiny two-bedroom house and the flickering lights go dark in an instant, causing Rachel to scream in fear and find solace in Finn's arms. He smiles extra wide when he realizes she feels safe when they're together. When she knows he is there to protect her.

He holds her extra tight and rocks her until she's calmed down, taking the responsibility upon himself to find them some candles. The fact that she, Rachel Berry, the most fearless and confident girl he's ever known in his life is dependent on him, makes his smile feel like it will be forever permanent.

He opens the windows to let out some of the stuffy, humid air, and a strong wind blows into the tiny living room, creating the desired affect and making the stagnant air dissipate. He lights the candles until the room is no longer pitch dark. When another, even louder crack bellows overhead, he can't control the light chuckle that escapes his lips at her expense when she starts to panic. She buries her head into his chest and his body engulfs her; his long arms wrapping around her petite waist, his head resting on her shoulder. He forms a human cage around her and his heart starts to pound extra fast when he feels her hands making tight fists in his clothes. She's scared, so in the dim lighting of the empty room, he can hear her heart beating loud and clear. It makes him frown when he realizes how strong it is, and how loudly it echoes in the silence of the storm. The rain is incessant in its intensity, and each drop of water on his roof sounds like nails being hammered into the frame of the house. But even with the thunder and the rain and the wind blowing fierce, he can still hear her heartbeat like it was the only sound in the world.

He closes his eyes, losing track of time, and by the time he resurfaces the lights are back on and the candles have gone out.

Neither of them really notice.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

He listens to her heartbeat on a bright October morning, the air crisp and brisk as they hold hands in the almost-empty hallway. He knows he's going to be late for class, but it doesn't really register as his mouth hangs open in shock. His hand grips hers even tighter than before as he pulls her into a deep embrace. Some random jock screams out "Get a room!" in the background, but Finn is oblivious to the taunting. The only sound he can hear at the moment is the steady beating of her heart, and the erratic pounding of his own. Even the shrill ringing of the homeroom bell doesn't snap him out of his stupor as Rachel stares at him in wait.

"Finn? Did you hear what I just said?" Her voice, angelic and clear as a bell, echoes in the now completely-empty halls as she stares up at him with wide questioning eyes. His smile starts out small, then pulls up into a grin that he can no longer control.

He listens to a heartbeat, but now he can no longer tell if it's hers or his own. They seem to have become one, both beating strong and fierce, and the idea makes his grin even wider, if that's possible.

He kisses her softly, deeply, his lips lingering on hers for as long as he possibly can before needing to pause for air. He listens to her heartbeat and closes his eyes in bliss. He's so late for class by now, but it doesn't even matter as he takes her hand in his and leads them down the hall. She looks up at him with doubt and hesitation in her eyes, and he realizes that he never answered her question.

"I heard what you said, Rachel." His voice is low, gritty and clogged with emotion as he struggles to hear his own voice over the pounding of their hearts, beating as one. "I love you, too."  
**  
****The End**

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Just a fluffy one-shot to hold you kids over until I can start a new story. I hope you liked it.

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk


End file.
